The newest entries in the Pokemon series, Scarlet and Violet, are a step forward for the franchise in many ways, most importantly in the new open world! The newest games let you explore the region to your heart’s content and put quite a heavier focus on finding and collecting Pokemon through the region, bringing back the wonder of the early games.
But, with it being still a new venture for the series, those wanting more of this new spin are a bit out of luck. While they may not be exactly the same, there are plenty of games that can scratch the same itches as Pokemon, whether it be in an open world to explore, wonderful creatures to discover, or a simple but fun RPG!
10/10 Subnautica
One of the selling points of Scarlet and Violet is that the open world allows for Pokemon to have more of a natural ecosystem, and while it does include some of this, it’s nothing compared to Subnautica. Subnautica is a survival game that sees you crash-landed on an ocean planet full of hostile life, forced to figure out the natural ecosystem and exploit it to survive and thrive.
The world Subnautica builds is easily one of its best features, giving incredible biomes to explore, each with their own selections of creatures that all work together in an ecosystem. Subnuatica doesn’t feel like a game centered around you; it feels like you’re in the middle of a breathing, living world that couldn’t care less about you and certainly doesn’t have you at the top of the food chain.
9/10 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Open world games have had a massive renaissance in recent years, with the genre being re-examined and tweaked to make a more pure exploration game like we see with Scarlet and Violet, and Breath of the Wild had no small part in that. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a brand-new direction for the series, switching to a completely open world as you train yourself up to take on the evil Ganon.
When it comes to games that value player freedom, none is better than Breath of the Wild. The game lets the player go in nearly any direction at all times and has so many solutions to problems for players to discover. Every inch of Hyrule has something interesting to find or see, and it makes exploring feel not like a chore, but something the player would prioritize over the main quests. For those who love exploring the region, Breath of the Wild is a great time.
8/10 Bug Fables
Pokemon for many people is a starting point when it comes to the world of RPGs due to its simple mechanics, but that simplicity can make it hard to get into other RPGs. For those wanting to dip their toe into the genre more, Bug Fables is the perfect place to start. Bug Fables sees you taking control of three adventurers in a miniature world of bugs as they go on quests that eventually lead to them having to save the world as they know it.
Bug Fables takes great inspiration from the Paper Mario series, basically being a spiritual successor to the older titles in the series, with action commands, badges to customize your build, and small simplistic combat that’s easy to understand. It has a similar charm to Pokemon in that it’s very easy to understand, but it has so much complexity under the surface and can offer a true challenge for those who want it — definitely a great first RPG.
7/10 Slime Rancher 2
For some players, Pokemon is just a nice relaxing game. Getting through the game isn’t too hard, so it’s easy to just sit back and enjoy catching some creatures. And for those players, Slime Rancher 2 is perfect! Slime Rancher 2 is a management game that sees you catch slimes, building up a ranch for each type, and harvesting their plorts to continue to build and explore.
Slime Rancher 2 is an incredibly relaxing game, each aspect of it not really asking much of the player, just letting them rest back and idly grow their ranch through whatever methods they like, whether they play the markets smartly or just take the cutest slimes. It also helps that the game is incredibly adorable with the overall art style and the slimes themselves. It’s a game that’s hard to not fall in love with.
6/10 In Other Waters
While Pokemon has tried to make their world feel more natural with the Pokemon, it still feels very gamey and not like a real ecosystem, especially when compared to something like In Other Waters. In Other Waters is a game that sees you helping a human explore a strange ocean planet, only able to view it through the radar of their diving suit and the descriptions they give you.
In Other Waters builds a fascinating world and ecosystem not through grand vistas or fascinating designs, but simply through the written world and your own imagination. You never get to see the world and only get to see the creature designs as a reward, yet their biology and this world are so fascinating that it doesn’t matter. It’s the only game that can keep you on the edge of your seat reading about a bunch of mushrooms.
5/10 Omori
Part of what makes Pokemon so popular is its gameplay. While it may be too simple for some, that simplicity makes it an excellent gateway for RPGs while the system also offers a lot of depth and strategy. Another game for those who want a combat system like this is Omori. Omori is an RPG that sees you follow a shut-in teenager, exploring both their dream world and the real world to uncover old mysteries and memories.
Omori offers a really engaging combat system, keeping things incredibly simple with only a few moves but still having lots of thought and plenty of strategies to try. The game even has an emotion system which is like Pokemon’s typing but with a bit more complexity. While Omori’s story may be heavier than Pokemon’s, it’s an absolutely unforgettable story that will be adored by those who can handle it.
4/10 New Pokemon Snap
There are some Pokemon fans who couldn’t care less about the games or the adventure and are really there to see some cute, adorable creatures. And for those fans, New Pokemon Snap has everything you’d want. New Pokemon Snap sees you taken along various nature trails where you see Pokemon in their natural habitat and have to try to take the best pictures of each.
New Pokemon Snap is a purely fun and relaxing experience the whole way through. It has some light puzzle elements to open new areas, but it’s mostly just about appreciating Pokemon and enjoying photography. The graphics of this newest game show these Pokemon in all their glory, making for utterly beautiful scenes that would make anyone fall in love with Pokemon.
3/10 Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
For those who want more interesting spins on the Pokemon series, you can’t go any more interesting than with the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. This series sees you put into worlds entirely inhabited by Pokemon who have built up communities and form teams to explore strange “Mystery Dungeons.”
The games are an interesting take on a dungeon crawler that still uses familiar Pokemon mechanics, like moves and evolutions, while also throwing in plenty of their own complexities with items or special rooms. While the gameplay is a blast, the real treat of most of these games is their writing, which can tell incredibly emotional and impactful stories that are unforgettable.
2/10 Pokemon Legends: Arceus
While there aren’t many games that follow in this new formula for Pokemon, there is one: the one that prototyped this new direction for the series — Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Pokemon Legends: Arceus sees you flung back in time to explore the Hisui region when people are just beginning to catch Pokemon. Along the way, you’ll help fill out the very first Pokedex.
As the very first open world Pokemon game, it has a much greater focus on exploration and actually catching the Pokemon. The game introduces a system of learning more about the Pokemon in the field to complete their entries. It’s a very different experience from the traditional Pokemon games, but it’s still a welcome breath of fresh air for the series.
1/10 Bugsnax
While Pokemon has made great strides in making actually hunting and capturing Pokemon more interesting, it still doesn’t have the depth to its creature catching like Bugsnax. Bugsnax is a strange creature catching game that sees you brought to Snaktooth Island, an island full of creatures that are half bug half snack, and it’s up to you to catch them and help the group of explorers there.
What makes Bugsnax so special is that catching every creature is like a mini puzzle with you having to analyze the snack’s behavior, the environment, and your tools to catch them, gaining an understanding of them along the way, and making for a really satisfying experience. The game also features a surprisingly great, if somewhat silly story, that Pokemon fans are sure to fall in love with… even if it may disturb them in areas.
